Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page•Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page•Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles."Slowly I moved my hand up to his cheek and stroked the soft fur. Then, feeling brave, I scratched him behind his ear. A deep vibration rumbled in his throat, and I realized he was purring."

Well, I don't know if it's because I'm reading the ARC version I got from a trade, and not the final one, but there are moments when the writing seems awfully childish... the author even goes from 1st person to 3rd on the same page! O.o And, once in a while, the writing becomes fantastic. Maybe more than one person wrote it? LOL. Anyway, the story is enjoyable, and, as I said before, this is not the final version, so I can't really judge it, can I? :) The cover is unbelievable and Ren sounds so cute!! *-*

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Her world ends at the edge of the vast domed barrier of energy enclosing all that’s left of humanity. For two hundred years the city has sustained this barrier by harvesting its children's innate magical energy when they reach adolescence. When it’s Lark’s turn to be harvested, she finds herself trapped in a nightmarish web of experiments and learns she is something out of legend itself: a Renewable, able to regenerate her own power after it’s been stripped.

Forced to flee the only home she knows to avoid life as a human battery, Lark must fight her way through the terrible wilderness beyond the edge of the world. With the city’s clockwork creations close on her heels and a strange wild boy stalking her in the countryside, she must move quickly if she is to have any hope of survival. She’s heard the stories that somewhere to the west are others like her, hidden in secret – but can she stay alive long enough to find them?

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

Publication Date: August 1st 2012

Publisher:Carolrhoda Lab

Format: eARC,344pages

Series: yes

Source: Netgalley

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My Review

First line: The din of the clockwork dawn was loudest in the old sewers, a great whirring and clanking of gears as the artificial sun warmed up.

Last line: We left the field of metallic corpses behind and walked on across the vally, beneath the vast and terrible beauty of the dawn.

Sixteen-year-old Lark Ainsley is an Unharvested. She has been living inside the Wall all her life, with Institute rationing everything she eats, wears, how much water she uses, where she goes, what she does... but Lark wants nothing more than being Harvested. Which is why she broke into her school to see the Harvest list before Harvest Day. Unfortunately, her name wasn't on it. But the pixies, small mecanized spies were. Afraid the pixies would call her in as an intruder and send her for Adjustment, Lark releases her inner energy. Her magic. She uses the Resource and destroys the Pixie... something she was not aware was possible.

On Harvest Day, she decides to skip school knowing very well her name would not be called... that is, until her -very mean- older brother comes to get her, congratulatinh her on finally being harvested and mentioning she was the only one this time. But Lark knew very well why she was the only one summoned for this Harvest day. They somehow found out about her illegal use of the Resource and want to send her to Adjustment... but soon Lark finds out that there is so much more to the Harvest cerimony than she could have ever imagined... and why nobody seems to remember anything about it, except for the feast afterwards.

Lark wanted to be Harvested, and Harvested she was... multiple times. Why? Because that was the only way the Institute could be sure she was a rechargeable. And rechargeables become human batteries that fuel the Resource of the city for the rest of their very short, very painful life, as Lark soon finds out from the tied-up/tubed-up woman who keeps talking to her in her mind, saying 'We are the same' and 'Run. Find the others like us, in Iron Wood.'

But Iron Wood is outside the Wall, and nobody has ever come back. Now Lark needs to make some very serious decisions in her life... and face a whole new world. Outside the Wall.

Skylark was nothing like what I expected. It had a good, if a bit confusing, start. It was also quite fast-paced and things became slightly clearer with every page read. (please notice I said slightly). That change, though, when our heroine finally goes through the Wall. That's when the book starts to drag. Terribly. And all we read about is how Lark is afraid, confused, startled by silly things, eating this and that, drinking from here and there, sleeping, waking up, walking, eating, drinking... argh! It takes quite a while for the plot to get back on course, to something really important/interesting to happen. To (finally!) see another human. And then things get intense again. Then they slow down. And get interesting again. And then... well, I guess you get my point.

I had trouble staying focused on the story. I guess it just wasn't for me. Sometimes it felt more like reading a very slow-paced steampunk set in the future than an actual dystopian story. And I'm not exactly a fan of steampunk, you see. But I did like the intelligent, animated piece of metal/pixie, Nix. She was very amusing, if not a bit disconcerting. She made for some very funny and mysterious moments.

Oren was a complete treat. A real delight. I was already half in love with the guy only two pages after he first appeared. And I may be a bit suspicious to say so, what with me being a lover of savages/barbarians with soft hearts and all, but I dare say I won't be the only one with a crush on him when you guys get to the end of the book. Kris might become a competitor, too.

Now Lark... well, to me that girl was simply a total waste of good magic, water and food sometimes. She was very careless, very mean and always very trusting/distrusting in the wrong times. Ok, so she was sixteen, lost, alone and confused. But that's not an excuse for some really idiotic moves. What a douche. However, she did have her good moments. So I can forgive her. Sort of. >.>

Skylark is a very interesting take on the futuristic/post-war situation. With the added bonus of magic. So it's more like fantasy and, as I said before, a steampunk set in the future than dystopia. It has a lot of stalling and loose ends that will probably be explained in the next books, but it's still quite enjoyable. :)

* I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Friday, July 27, 2012

Q: Summer Reading. What was your favorite book that you were REQUIRED to read when you were in school?

Well, I live in Brazil, so I had to read a lot of classics of the brazilian literature. They were not always my cup of tea, you see, what with the different 'dialect' (that's the only way I can think of to explain it) and all. The portuguese language is in constant change (I guess they all are), so books from a couple of centuries ago hold a kind of vocabulary and spelling completely different from the present one. So... it gets very annoying and confusing when you have to read a book that is supposedly in your own language, but that requires the aid of a dictionary. *rolls eyes*

Anyway, the one book I ended up not minding so much having to read for my Literature class and Vestibular (our SAT's, sort of) was 'A Normalista'.

It's the story of a girl that loses her mother, is abandoned by her father and left to be raised by her Godfather... who ends up raping her when she grows into a young woman. She tries to tell her 'stemother' about it, but the woman doesn't believe her, assuming, of course, that she was the one tempting him. The girl then becomes pregant and is sent to the country to deliver... and I remember that after a very long, very painful labor, she gets up and the baby drops on its head o the floor. It was stillborn, but even so... O.O I've read that book years ago, but the image is still vivid inside my head. I think that's why I ended up liking this book so much. It's not that I'm bloodthirsty, you see ( At least I think I'm not. LOL), it's just that it was so... crude. Just... there. The same thing for the rape scenes. There was nothing poetic or veiled or insinuated about anything. But that's naturalism for you.

What was your answer?

If you're a new follower on GFC or Networked Blogs, please let me know and I will be glad to return the favor. :)

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publication Date: August 7th 2012

Publisher:Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Format: eARC,384pages

Series: yes

Source: Netgalley

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My Review:

The Throne of Glass has been available on Fictionpress a few years before, in a serial then known as Queen of Glass. Now, the famous tale is finally being published.

Celeana Sardothien has been sent to the prison of Endovier, to work as a slave. She has been able to survive in the salt mines for over a year, much longer than most people. Why? Because she is Adarlan's most notorious assassin.

One day, a the Chief of the Kingdom's Guard is waiting for her. He came to fetch her and bring her to the Prince of Adarlan. Celeana is certain she was brought there to die, and so is completely stunned to discover that he had a bargain for her. Became the King's Assassin for a few years with the promise of freedom... or return to prison to die. Having no real choice in the matter, she agrees.

But to effectively become the King's Assassin, she must first defeat other 23 criminals in a tournament made to amuse the King and his court. Now she must train... and with so many threats around her, try and stay alive.

The Chief of Guard, Chaol Westfall, is in charge of her. Even though he doesn't trust her, he helps her regain her strength with serious training. However, Chaol can't help but start noticing more than her physical abilities and stealth. The thing is, neither can the Prince.

Prince Dorian finds himself to be absolutely enthralled by the Assassin. She is nothing like other court ladies. And she couldn't be more wrong for him.

In a world of secrets and danger, Celeana struggles to figure out who is friend and who is foe in the frightening and cold Castle of Glass.

There were so many comparisons of this book to Hunger Games and Game of Thrones, that I was super excited to start reading it.

Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed to find a very arrogant and very bland heroine. I know it may not make much sense. I mean, a female assassin, feared by so many... a very strong young woman, fending for herself, always on her own... I should have loved her!!! I'm not sure if it was all those comparisons and raving reviews that did it, but I just wasn't very impressed with the beginning of the book.

Nonetheless, the plot kept me going. Celeana became more human, more bearable, more likeable. And, eventually, I found myself cheering for her. And Chaol. And Dorian. LOL. No, I can never pick just one Team.

The book was full of surprises, with a lot od fantasy and Faerie magic thrown in the mix, to make things more interesting.

I didn't like that the time period wasn't made very clear. I suppose it was set sometime in the past, (maybe 16th or 17th century?) if the clothing, the duels, kingdoms, and all that machismo crap were to be taken into consideration. But if I had only the dialogues to try and situate the story, then I'd be completely lost. They all talked like contemporary citizens. Slang included. Maybe that's a silly complain, but it bothered me. It is my opinion that the whole book would have had a more compelling feel to it if only it had been written more formally.

Oh, and it certainly took forever for people to realize that what had been killing those contenders wasn't human or even natural. I'm sorry, but if there are bite marks, claw marks, open chests and missing brains, then I'm pretty sure a human didn't do it. I just couldn't swallow their original disdain ("Oh, it was nothing. Maybe he just fell." Sure he did. And ripped his own heart and brain in the process!), and following doubts and suspicions over who did it ("Oh, I wonder if Celeana did it. Even if she was inside her room the whole time and all the guards can attest to it."). It took them forever to even start considering that, maybe, it was a what, not a who. That little bit of info made me seriously doubt the characters' intelligence. Sorry, but that, too, ruined the story quite a bit to me.

The name Celeana bothered me, too. Couldn't they have gone with the simpler form of Selena? Well... but that's a bit irrelevant now. LOL.

Also, the book felt long, but even with all the faults, I ended up enjoying many parts of it. How Celeana would help and even care about her 'nicer' contenders. How she would befriend an outcast and, even though she became her only friend, it still didn't stop Celeana from being careful and doubting her motives later on. But I especially enjoyed the ending. Celeana surprised me by thinking first of herself and her future, not letting a troublesome and clearly fleeting romance get in the way of her freedom.

I'm curious as to what will happen in the next books and will look for them. :)

If you like strong young heroines, fantasy and magic along with your adventure and romance, then you'll enjoy Throne of Glass.

* I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Monday, July 23, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey.

Welcome to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

I'm Currently Reading:(This one really IS fantastic. I've read about 400 pages, so I still have 600 or so to go. LOL. And I'm loving it.)

Friday, July 20, 2012

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.When Zoe starts to malfunction (or "glitch"), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers. As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

Pleasure. I'd only heard the word used to talk about the destruction of the world. "I'm not sure what you mean. Pleasure is wrong."

"No!" His eyes opened wide. "Pleasure is wonderful. Really. I'm surprised you haven't found it out on your own. I thought for sure anyone glitching would discover it right away like I did. Can I look at your genitalia?"

"What?" My voice hitched up an octave.

"Aren't you curious? I could try to show you what I mean."

Seventeen-year-old Zoel G-24 has started Glitching, more and more frequently. She knows she should go to the Regulators and ask to be corrected. She is an anomalie. And anomalies should be detected and corrected. But they could also deactivate her. Especially if they knew her other, much bigger secret. There are no secrets in this new world. It was secrets that started the wars and almost destroyed the planet. But the Link saved them all.

Zoel really should denounce herself... but when she Glitches, the world without the dullness of the Link is so much more... alive. Everything has color, taste, smell and feel to it. She has feelings she can't even name. And she can think. But no one can know. Her outside should let nothing show. Her face should be blank, her voice monotonous, her eyes empty and body relaxed and all gestures mechanical. She has to constantly control her breathing and heartbeat, else her vital monitors might let anything on.

Zoel has been very careful, but one young boy has been watching her. Much too often. She starts to think he might be a Monitor, who is just waiting for her to act anomalous to denunciate her. He could be the end of her. Even if he has the most beautiful bright blue-green eyes. But when he saves her from a very strange correction session, she finds out that not all she thought was true was, in fact, the truth. There is so much more out there, and Adrien can tell her. He can show her. And teach her.

Zoel has Telekinesis. A very rare and powerful Gift. Adrien, who is part of the Rez (Resistence), has visions of the future. And he knows that Zoe, as he calls her, can be their savior. But it won't be easy.

I have to be honest here... the first 70 or so pages of this book were BO-RING. I really almost considered giving it up. But I persevered. LOL. And was rewarded with the serious awesomeness that followed. :)The idea that the human brain started to develop abilities to get around the brainwashing programming was just mindblowing. *-*

Oh, and to see Zoel and Max's reactions to their brand new 'feelings' was just super amusing. I couldn't help but LOL at their formal vocab when talking about the most basic feelings we have. From simple love and hate to the 'passions'. Talk about a good hormonal blocker. Hilarious. :P

However, it was terrifying to even try to imagine that one day we might have hardware inside our brains, to control and block everything. Oh, and a port entrance in my freaking neck? *shudders*.

Glitch is full of surprises. When you finally start to think you've got something/someone figured out, you find out you know nothing. Right along with Zoel. LOL. Very entertaining. And to think that it was all just an introduction to the story. Can't wait for the next books.

If you like crazy scary dystopian worlds, complex characters and a great plot in development, then you'll love Glitch.

* I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

And, now that I have finally started reading the first volume in the Outlander series, I can't help but want to really see it. So, the graphic novel for it is the best way I can think of, until they make the movie/TV series, whatever. :P

Diana Gabaldon’s brilliant storytelling has captivated millions of readers in her bestselling and award-winning Outlander saga. Now, in her first-ever graphic novel, Gabaldon gives readers a fresh look at the events of the original Outlander: Jamie Fraser’s side of the story, gorgeously rendered by artist Hoang Nguyen.

Step into the captivating, passionate, and suspenseful world of The Exile, and experience the storytelling magic of Diana Gabaldon as never before.

So, which books would you get?

If you're a new follower on GFC or Networked Blogs, please let me know and I will be glad to return the favor. :)

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

The trees swallowed her brother whole. And Jenny was there to see it. Years later, when she returns to the woods where Tom was taken to say good-bye at last, she finds herself lured into a world where stunning beauty masks the most treacherous of evils, and strange and dangerous creatures await—creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with allegiances that shift as much as his moods. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack’s help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where nothing is what it seems, no one is who they say, and she’s faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice—and not just her own.

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publication Date: August 16th 2012

Publisher:Dial Books

Format: eARC,300pages

Series: no

Source: Netgalley

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My Review

When Jenny was 10-years-old, her older brother Tom decided to take a shortcut through the forest on the way home from their music class. Tom, a very talented fourteen-year-old was joyfully playing his flute when Jenny started to notice the earth moving slightly... and then, out of nowhere, a strange man made of bark, moss and dirt appeared and tried to grab her. Her brother stepped in front of her and was taken in her stead, screaming for her to run while the earth swallowed him up. He was never found again.

Seven years later, Jenny is tired of being treated like a mentaly-ill person. Nobody ever believed her when she spoke of the bark man or about how the earth swallowed her brother. Her parents sent her to all the doctors they could think of, and eventually sent her away to a boarding school, because they could barely look at her, who looked so much like the son that never returned home. The talented one.

Jenny has been trying to convince herself for years that trees cannot hurt her, that the forest is harmless, even if she keeps hearing them call to her... so she returns to the forest where everything happened, where the pull is even stronger. She has a bouquet of flowers to honor her brother. She's looking for some sort of closure... but then she hears his flute, his beautiful music. Without even thinking about it, Jenny follows the sound until she finds herself far, far away from home.

She's in Faerie land. There, she's considered sport to any fae who can get her... but Jack o' the Forest, the Guardian of the Edge, is responsible for her well-being and with the help of the famous Puck, tries to send her back to where she came from... but Jenny is to close to give up, now. She discovers that the man she heard playing, the one she suspects's almost sure to be her brother, is the Queen's piper. And to meet the Queen Titania would be a very, very dangerous thing to her. But almost everything in that place is dangerous. Beautiful, but two-faced and treacherous. Jenny now needs to learn whom she can trust and to what point.

The book is beautifully written, with such an enrapturing style of narration you can't help but just want to fall into it, and in love with it. I mean, look at that cover! It's to die for. Well, I have never been much of a faerie fan, but Jenny is such a very nice female character! And she's not blond.(Nothing against blondes, but I am starting to get tired of so many blond heroines in YA, ok? And redheads.). Oh, and I just went nuts for Jack! Wretched, bewildered and completely torn between duty, love and his own survival. How can someone NOT love him? The story did drag a bit at some parts, but the plot was so interesting I just kept going, dying to know what would happen next.

I can't say the ending was incredibly creative or at least surprising. Not at all. But it was cute and satisfying nonetheless.

If you enjoy paranormal Young Adults with faerie stories and forbidden romance, then The Treachery of Beautiful Things is your book.

Ok, this book is so not what I expected. As a matter of fact, I had no idea what to expect, but I'm sure that wasn't quite it. I really hope it gets better. Such a confusing start, so much mystery, no girls as of yet...

Have you read The Maze Runner? Does it get better? LOL. Please let me know.